Edward Harden Mansion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Edward Harden Mansion
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West elevation, 2009
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Sleepy Hollow, NY |
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| Nearest city | White Plains |
| Architect | Hunt & Hunt |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 03001401 |
| Added to NRHP | January 16, 2004 |
The Edward Harden Mansion, also known as Broad Oaks, is a special old house in Sleepy Hollow, New York. It sits right on the border with Tarrytown. This beautiful brick building was designed by famous architects Hunt & Hunt in the early 1900s. It's built in the Georgian Revival style, which looks like grand old homes from the 1700s.
This mansion is one of the few large homes left from that time along Broadway. On the property, there's also an older carriage house made of wood. Both buildings are important enough to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2003.
Edward Harden, who built the house, was a famous reporter. He was the first to tell the world about Admiral George Dewey's big victory in the Battle of Manila Bay. Later, he became successful in finance. He even bought a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. Soon after the house was built, part of it was used for the very first Montessori school in the U.S. The Harden family later moved away. The mansion then became a home for retired seamstresses. In the mid-1900s, the local school district bought it. Today, it still serves as their main offices.
Contents
Exploring the Mansion's Location
The Edward Harden Mansion sits on a small hill. It is on the east side of Broadway, which is U.S. Route 9. Next to it is Patriot's Park. This park is famous because John André was captured there during the Revolutionary War. His capture revealed Benedict Arnold's spying for the British.
On the east side of the property is the Old Croton Aqueduct. This aqueduct is a National Historic Landmark. The house itself is unique because it's built right on the line between Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown. This area is a transition zone. It connects the busy downtown parts of both towns to quieter residential areas. These areas have tall, old trees and large houses. Nearby are Sleepy Hollow High School and the district's middle school to the north. The elementary John Paulding School is to the south. A driveway leads up from Broadway to a parking lot. Another large parking lot is at the back of the house.
What the Mansion Looks Like
The main house is made of brick. It has two and a half stories. You can see dormer windows and brick chimneys on its hip roof. On the north and south sides, there are two-story wings. These wings have flat roofs and fancy wooden decorations. A one-story service wing is at the back. An open porch with an iron railing runs along the front of the house. It wraps around both sides.
Windows and Details
The front of the house has many windows. Most are double-hung sash windows. They have marble sills and brick frames with marble keystones. Between the first and second floors, there are special brick panels. The corners of the house have decorative stone blocks called quoined. At the roofline, there's a detailed cornice with small blocks. The small windows in the dormers have pointed tops called pedimented gables.
Porches and Entrances
The south side of the house has a large wooden porch. It has a flat roof. The porch has columns that support a decorated band called a frieze. On the first floor, the windows are small. They replaced the original French windows. On the second floor, the windows open onto small balconies. Three more gabled dormers are above this porch. The north porch is similar but smaller.
The back of the house, facing east, has a grand entrance. This was the original front door. It has two smooth columns on each side. The door itself is made of stained wood. It has narrow columns and leaded glass on the sides and above.
The main entrance on the west side also has columns. This door has been updated. Inside, there's a large entrance hall with a staircase. People say this staircase came from a real Colonial house in Boston. The walls that used to separate the dining room and drawing room are now gone. Many original details are still there. These include plaster walls and ceilings, and beautiful wood and marble fireplace mantels. The black walnut woodwork is also original. The bathrooms upstairs still have their white tile floors.
The Carriage House
The carriage house is a smaller building. It's made of wood and has one and a half stories. It has a special roof shape called a clipped gable roof. The eaves have decorative supports called bracketed. There's also a small tower on top called a cupola. Its windows are also double-hung sash windows.
A Look Back in Time: The Mansion's History
The story of the Edward Harden Mansion begins with its builder, Edward Harden. In 1898, when he was 29, Edward was a business editor for the Chicago Tribune. He was on a ship called the USS Hugh McCulloch. This ship joined Commodore George Dewey's fleet during the Spanish–American War.
Edward Harden's Big Scoop
Edward Harden was one of only three reporters who saw Dewey's victory in the Battle of Manila Bay. This was the first time the U.S. Navy had won against a foreign fleet since the War of 1812. From Hong Kong, Harden paid a telegraph operator with gold. This helped him send his news story faster than the other reporters. His report reached the United States before Dewey's official report. Even President William McKinley learned about the victory from the Tribune!
From Reporter to Financier
Seven years later, after working in the Philippines and as an editor, Harden left journalism. He started working in finance and business. He became very successful as a stock trader. He even earned a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. He married Ruth Vanderlip, whose brother Frank was a high-ranking official in the Treasury. The Hardens and their children were drawn to the Tarrytowns. Many other wealthy families lived there at the time.
Building Broad Oaks
In 1909, they hired Hunt & Hunt to design their new home. The architects chose the new Georgian Revival style. This style was popular because it looked like grand 18th-century homes. Harden bought four acres of land. This land already had the carriage house, which was likely built for an older house. The building of the mansion was covered by newspapers in New York and Chicago. Edward Harden knew about the Revolutionary War history of the land nearby. He might have chosen this style to honor that history. He even collected items related to John André. Today, this collection is held by the Tarrytown Historical Society. Harden later bought the land for Patriot's Park for public use.
A School and a Home for Seamstresses
After two years, the Montessori school moved to the Vanderlips' property in Briarcliff Manor. It became the Scarborough School. Some of Franklin D. Roosevelt's grandchildren later attended this school. The Hardens also moved to Scarborough in 1926. They reportedly found Broadway "too noisy."
The mansion was then sold to the estate of Margaret Howard. She was an Irish immigrant who became a millionaire dressmaker in New York. In her will, she asked for a large amount of money to buy and keep a home for retired seamstresses. This was a very unusual idea back then. In 1928, the Sisters of Mercy began managing the home. The first residents moved in.
The seamstresses stayed busy. They sewed uniforms for American troops during World War II. Ten years after the war, in 1955, the house was sold to the Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns. They made some changes to use it as offices. The mansion to the north was already a private boys' school, which is now Sleepy Hollow High School. Later, the southern mansion became John Paulding School. It was named after one of the local militiamen who caught André. The district still uses the Edward Harden Mansion as its main administration building today.
